What to Eat Before, During and After Your Workouts

These days it seems like everywhere you turn there's a website or magazine presenting a perfectly composed, impeccably timed eating plan that promises to finally deliver the body you want.

The truth is, though, that most people don't need to overthink what they eat.

At Precision Nutrition, we've worked with more than 30,000 people through our coaching programs, and this, combined with the latest scientific evidence, has revealed that for most people trying to look and feel their best, nutrient timingisn't necessary.

In fact, focusing on carbs versus fats versus protein and exactly when to eat can be distracting or even self-sabotaging. If all you want is to be healthy, exercise regularly and feel good, then simply eating nutritious, well-considered meals one to two hours before and after your workouts will probably suffice.

However, if you train for endurance, bodybuilding or fitness competitions -- or if you're after serious muscle mass -- then what you eat and when you eat it can make a huge difference. If that's you (or if you want that to be you), keep reading.

Taking workout nutrition to the next level
Serious training for endurance, strength or fitness competitions means you need to be eating like an athlete. When and what you eat can support your performance, recovery and overall health.

How to eat before a workout. In the three hours before training, focus on:

Protein: This helps maintain or even increase muscle size, minimize muscle damage, speed recovery and boost your conditioning in the long term.

Carbs: These offer quick energy to fuel both endurance and short, high-intensity workouts while supporting muscle retention and growth.

Fats: They slow digestion, keeping blood sugar stable.

If you choose to eat two to three hours before your workout, that's far enough in advance for a modest meal. For men, that means:

(Again, smaller women would start with half and increase from there based on body size or activity levels.)

How to eat during a workout. If your training session will last less than two hours, all you need to worry about is hydration. Good old H20 is fine, but if you're exercising in the heat and sweating a lot, a sports drink may help replenish electrolytes.

Training intensely for more than two hours at a time or multiple times a day or trying to gain muscle mass? Then you may benefit from taking in certain nutrients as you go. Your goals here are similar to those for pre-workout nutrition: Stay hydrated, maintain energy, boost performance, preserve muscle and improve recovery. You'll need:

Protein: It prevents muscle breakdown, especially if it's been more than three hours since your last meal. You only need 15 grams per hour (if you're the type of person who prefers to exercise on an empty stomach, try 10 to 15 grams of BCAAs).

Carbs: These boost performance and recovery. How much is right? Thirty to 45 grams per hour, if it's paired with protein, which slows digestion to maximize the benefit gained from carbs.

These calories and nutrients can come in the form of liquids, gels or even some solid food like fruit.

How to eat after a workout. Eat within two hours following training to support your body's recovery. If your pre-training meal was a small one or you ate it several hours beforehand, then try not to wait more than an hour. Otherwise, knock yourself out -- spend an hour in the kitchen cooking up a feast.

The right post-exercise nutrition can help you recover, rehydrate, refuel, build muscle and improve future performance. You'll need:

Protein: This prevents protein breakdown and stimulates muscle development. Contrary to the typical assumption, there's no real evidence that protein powders, especially the fast-digesting kind, are any better for us than whole-food protein after training. Go whichever way you want.

Carbs: You do not need a spaghetti dinner or a sugary drink. Contrary to popular belief, it's unnecessary -- and probably bad -- to stuff yourself with refined carbs after your workout. Whole foods (grains, fruit) are better for restoring insulin and glycogen since they're better tolerated, last longer and therefore might lead to better next-day performance.

For men, this looks like:

2 palms of protein
2 fists of vegetables
2 cupped handfuls of carbs
2 thumbs of fats
A low-calorie beverage like water

(Again, smaller women would start with half and increase from there based on body size or activity levels.)

Keep an eye on your overall diet, too. There's no doubt about it: You can gain a lot by taking care with the timing and content of your meals surrounding intense training sessions.

But according to the most recent data, the total amount of protein and carbs consumed over the course of the day is far more important to lean mass gain, fat loss and performance improvements than any specific nutrient-timing strategy.

John Berardi, Ph.D., is a founder of Precision Nutrition, the world's largest online nutrition coaching company. He also sits on the health and performance advisory boards of Nike, Titleist and Equinox. In the past five years, Dr. Berardi and his team have personally helped more than 30,000 people improve their eating, lose weight and boost health through their renowned Precision Nutrition Coaching program.

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About John Berardi

Dr. Berardi is a coach, professor, researcher, author, and speaker. He and his Precision Nutrition team have coached an amazing 10,000 clients to over 180,000 pounds of weight lost. Dr. Berardi has also authored the world’s fastest growing nutrition certification program for fitness professionals, The Precision Nutrition Certification. This program has grown to a community of over 50,000 students in 100 countries. In this blog, Dr. Berardi and his guest bloggers share lessons learned from over 20 years in the field, providing the tools you need to improve how you look, feel and perform.